Notary Vocabulary Flashcards
Credible Indentifying Witness
Individual who personally knows a document signer, swears to or affirms the identity of the signer, signs in the Notary’s journal, and presents the Notary with a state-approved ID.
Depose
To make a deposition; to testify under oath or affirmation orally or in writing.
Execute
To comply with legal formalities in order to render (a deed, etc.) effective, as by signing your signature.
Fraud
Deception aimed at causing a person unknowingly to surrender money, property, rights or advantages without a compensation; cheating.
Affiant
Signer of an affidavit; taker of an oath or affirmation.
Oath
Spoken, solemn promise to a Supreme Being that is made before a Notary in relation to a jurat or as a notorial act in its own right.
Negligence
Failure to use a degree of care that is expected of a person of ordinary prudence and intelligence.
Misconduct
Performing a prohibited action or failing to perform a required action.
Personal Appearance
Appearing face to face and in the same room with a Notary at the time of notarization.
Positive Identification
Determining who a person is without a reasonable doubt or suspicion.
Principal
Person who is a signer of and party to a document.
Public Protection Liability Requirement
A reference to the required $15,000 surety bond which provides protection for the public against damages caused by the Notary misconduct.
Immigration Consutltant
A non-attorney who is qualified to provide non-legal immigration services.
Reasonable Care
Degree of attentiveness and precaution that would be expected of a person of ordinary prudence and intelligence.
Willful
A voluntary, intentional or deliberate violation of known duty.
Willingness
State of acting without duress or undue influence; state of acting voluntarily.
Vital Record
Birth certificate, death certificate, marriage license or other public record of demographic data.
Venue
Location (State and County) where a notarization is performed, as indicated at the top of most Notary certificates.
Representative Capacity
Status of signing or acting on behalf of another person or on behalf of a legal entity such as a corporation, partnership or trust.
Satisfactory Evidence
Absence of any suspicious circumstances surrounding the identity of a signer, plus evidence in one of the following forms:
Reliable state-approved identification documents or the sworn or affirmed word of one or two credible identifying witnesses that an individual has the identity claimed.
Signature by Mark
An “x” or other symbol made in place of a signature by a person unable to write which is witnesses by two other persons in order for the mark to be notarized.
Personal Knowledge
Familiarity with an individual resulting from interactions over a period of time sufficient to eliminate every reasonable doubt that the individual has the identity claimed. Personal knowledge is not an option for California Notaries to use to identify a signer.
Jurat
Notaries act in which a Notary certifies that the signer personally appeared before the Notary, and that the Notary watched the signing of the document, positively identified the signer and administered an oath or affirmation in which the signer declares the document to be truthful and accurate.
Impartial Witness
An individual with no direct financial or beneficial interest on a transaction.
